12/31 Recap: Amerks end with victory; Brennan honored

Even Rankin and Mark Mancari each scored goals and David Leggio made 30 saves for his first shutout of the year as Rochester closed the 2012 portion of the schedule with a 2-0 decision over Hamilton. The Amerks scored in each of the first two period before protecting the lead with just four shots in the third period versus 12 for the Bulldogs.

Kevin Porter added two assists for the Amerks, while Brian Flynn picked up a single helper.
Rochester begins the New Year on the road with a pair of games Friday and Saturday at Abbotsford.

Earlier in the day, the AHL announced that T.J. Brennan was named the CCM/AHL Player of the Week for the period ending Dec. 30, 2012.

From the league release:

In three games on the week, Brennan recorded one goal and five assists for six points for the Americans.
On Wednesday night, Brennan had five points in a wild 7-6 overtime victory over Lake Erie, tying an AHL season high and establishing a new personal best. All four of Brennan’s assists on the night came on game-tying goals, erasing deficits of 1-0, 2-1, 5-4 and 6-5. He also scored a power-play goal in the first period, his third point of that stanza.

On Friday, Brennan registered another assist to help Rochester to a 4-1 win over Lake Erie in Buffalo, and on Saturday, Brennan took a game-high six shots on goal in the Amerks’ 2-1 loss to Binghamton.

Brennan, a second-round draft choice (31st overall) by the Buffalo Sabres in 2009, finished the week ranking second among all AHL defensemen with 12 goals and 29 points (tied) in 30 games for Rochester this season. The 23-year-old native of Willingboro, N.J., has 49 goals and 72 assists for 121 points in 219 career AHL games with Rochester and Portland, and also shows one goal in 11 NHL contests with the Sabres.

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In USHL play, Judd Peterson notched two assists as Cedar Rapids closed the year with a 4-3 OT loss to Tri-City. The helpers up Peterson's season line to 6-11-17 through 24 games.

In the OHL, Justin Kea recorded a minus-two rating as Saginaw was downed by Sault Ste. Marie 7-3. The blanking snaps Kea's three-game point streak. Saginaw returns to action Friday at London.

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Kris Baker was raised in a hockey rink. When you were watching Star Wars, he was watching Peter Puck. Bakes' favorite food is chicken soup from the vending machine, and he'd register a Zamboni with the DMV if allowed.